Shoe



Patented May 27, 1930 UNITE@ STTE man? recrear ortica SHOE Application filed November 5, 1926, Serial No. 146,339. Renewed August 27, 1929.

My invention relates to shoes for human beings and has for its object to provide a'v novel shoe designed to give a maximum of comfort to the wearer and to relieve stresses and strains upon the feet. Other objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an eXampleof the invention without defining its limits, and in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation embodying the novel features of the' invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section onan enlarged scale approximately on the line 8--3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a cross section on the line l-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cletail plan view; Fig. 6 is a face view of an insert forming part of the invention, and Fig. 7 is a detail cross section illustrating a plate forming part of the device in its normal condition.

As shown in the drawings the shoe 10 includes the customary sole 11 and heel 127 as well as such other parts as commonly are found in foot wear of the type under discussion. Interiorly the shoe is provided with a plate or shank 13 preferably made of German silver orv other suitable rust proof metal to insure tensile strength and lying in surface engagement with the inner surface of the sole 11. The shank 13 is located in registry with the arch of the shoe so as to be posi.v

tioned in registry with the arch of the foot when the shoe is worn and is provided with an internally threaded boss le projecting downwardly into an opening 15 with which the sole 11 is provided; the purposeof this boss ylll will appear more fully hereinafter. The shank 13 furthermore is shaped to conform closely to the shape of the sole of the foot and is secured in position in any suit.- able manner, as for instance, by means o f rivets or the likela. A layer of felt 16 1s .attached to the outer surface of the sole 11 by means of a screw 19 which screws into the boss 14 and has its head preferably coun# ter-sunk in a recess formed in the member 18; in the preferred construction suitabley reinforcing means may be provided in the mem-v ber 18 for the purpose of absorbing strains dueto the tightening of the screw 19. The member 18 ispre'ferably provided with a tread surface 21 of approximately circular form arranged to engage the iioor or other surface when'the shoe rests upon such snrd face either in a stationary position or in the' act of walking.` From the tread surface 2'1. the member A18 extendsv forwardly and is curved in horizontal directions along its opposite edges as indicated at t and I) toward an off-set apex to follow the contour of the ball of the shoe and the edge of the arch re spectively, as shown in Fig. 2; the forward end portion of the member 18 is preferably cemented to the sole of the shoe to maintain said forward end portion against curling up when the shoe is being worn. The member 18 islocated beneath the forward end of the metal shank 18 as shown in Fig. 8 and projects toward the ball of the foot. With this arrangement; pain to the wearer is avoided and pressure which ordinarily develops calluses, is prevented. f

As a vstep is taken and the weight of the body passes forwardly toward the ball of the foot, the novel device takes up this weight so that a stress is placed upon the rubber member 18 which is relatively springy and CTI . of the foot.

soft, and accordingly is compressed and thus creates a recoil which adds elasticity to the gait. The device provides a soft stepping and yielding effect even when walking upon stone or other hard surfaces and accordingly insures a maximum comfort in walking and a complete relief from stress or strain upon the feet. The device furthermore increases t-lie life of the sole 11 two or three times beyond its normal period of usefulness, because said device serves to take the pressure, both in standing and in. walking, off the ball of the foot. In addition, the device is instrumental in relieving and preventing calluses and prevents the arch of the shoe from flattening or breaking and thereby tends to cure and do away with arch trouble.

It is essential at all times for the arch of the foot to fit snugly to the arch of the shoe and that there be no pressure Vupo'n the ball In other words, the correct adjustment of the arch of the shoe to the arch of the foot, is the underlying basis on which restsy the benefit received by the human foot. For instance, should the elevation produced by the appliance prove too great, the wearer will be caused to endure excessive suffering; on the other hand, if the elevation is not high enough, no beneficial action will result from the use of the appliance. To provide for this snug fit and correct adjustment and to insure the same, inserts l22 made of fibre or other suitable material are provided; these inserts are of predetermined thickness and for instance may be one sixteenth of an inch thick,

although any other unit of measurement may be substituted if desired. The inserts 22 are used only if yit is necessary to` relieve pressure on the ball of the foot or to conform to the curve of the arch. In utilizing the inserts the screw 19 is first loosened, after which an insert 22 is slipped under the rear end of the member 18 and positioned so as to register therewith as indicated in Figs. 3 and Ll. If additional inserts are required, they may be placed between the iii-st insert and the member 18; in any case after the required number of inserts 22 have been placed in position, the screw 19 is tightened securelybut wit-hout forcing. The inserts 22 serve to properly raise the sole 11 at the arch and with it `the shank or plate 13 into proper engagement with the arch of the foot.

In the preferred arrangement the rubber orr other member 18 in its original condition is curved so that when tension is applied by the screw 19, that surface of the member18 which engages the sole 11 will be flattened out and consequently the member 18 will at all times engage the surface yof the sole under tension. The shank or plate 13 is pieferably depressed along its major centre line in order to provide a maximum of strength and preferably has its edges rounded so that the metal will not exert a cutting act-ion; in its operative position the shank or plate 13 must lie to the inside of the shoe as far as possible. The felt layer 16 and the cork insole 17 or their equivalents prevent the metal from contacting with the feet and provide a soft and yielding e'ect when the sole is worn. The improved arrangement also does away with cutting through of the sole which is incidental to the use of ordinary arch supports at the front edges thereof and in the latter is due to the fact that the weight of the body exerted upon such arch supports forces them into the leather of which thel sole is composed. 'Ihese disadvantages are entirely avoided in the present arrangement.

fTa-rious changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a shoe, the combination of a metallic plate shaped to conform to the shape of the foot and lying upon the inside of the sole toward Vthe inside of the shoe, a yielding memberupon the outside' of the sole projecting downwardly therefrom in registry with the arch of the shoe into engagement withjthe surface upon which the shoe stands, said member tapering along curved llines toward the inside of said shoe and lying substantially flush with and merging into the tread surface of the sole thereof,a fastening screw passing through said sole for connecting the yielding member with said plate, anda layer of yielding material coveriiigsaid plate upon the inside of the shoe.

2. In a shoe having a sole provided with an opening extending therethrough, the combination of a metallic platelocated interioily of theshoe toward the inside thereof, an internally threaded boss depending from said plate into the opening of said sole, a yielding member located upon the outside of the sole in registry with the arch of the shoe, a screw extending through said yielding member into threaded engagement with said boss for connecting said yielding member with said plate, a removable insert locatedvbetween said yielding member and said sole, a layer of felt covering said plate upon the inside of sait` shoe, and an insole of yielding inaterialeX- tending over and covering said layer of felt.

3. In a shoe, the combination of acplate shaped to conform to the shape of the foot and lying upon the inside of the sole toward the inside of the shoe, a yielding member upon the outside of the sole projecting downwardly therefrom inr registry with the arch of the shoe into engagement with the surface upon which the Vshoe stands, said member tapering toward the inside-of the shoe and lying substantially flush with and merging into the tread surface of the sole thereof, and a fastening element passing through said sole and into said plate for connecting the yielding member with said plate.

4. In a shoe having a sole provided With an opening extending therethrough, the combination of a resilient plate located interiorly of the shoe toward the inside thereof, an internally threaded boss depending from said plate into the opening of said sole, a yielding member located upon the outside of the sole in registry With the arch of the shoe, a screw extending through said yielding member into threaded engagement With said boss for connecting said yielding member with said plate.

5. A shoe attachmentcomprisinga plate shaped to conform to the shape of a foot and adapted to be positioned upon the inside of the sole of a shoe at the arch thereof, said plate being provided with an internally threaded boss depending therefrom and adapted to pass through an opening in the sole, ayieldable member adapted to be located on the exterior of the sole in registry with said plate, said yieldable member being f provided With a restricted tread surface and tapering along curved lines in one direction to lie substantially flush with and merge into the tread surface of the sole of a shoe, and a fastening element passing through said yieldable member into threaded engagement With said boss for detachably connecting the same with said plat-e.

6. A shoe attachment comprising a plate shaped to conform to the shape of a foot and adapted to be positioned upon the inside of the sole of a shoe at the arch thereof, said plate being provided with an internally threaded boss depending therefrom and adapted to pass through an opening in the sole, a yieldable member adapted to be located on the exterior of the sole in registry with said plate, and a fastening element passing through said yieldable member into threaded engagement with said boss for detachably connecting the same with said plate.

''. A shoe attachment comprising a plate shaped to conform to the shape of a foot and y adapted to be positioned upon the inside of shoe at the arch thereof, said plate being provided with a threaded bore, a yieldable member being provided with a restricted tread surface tapering in one directionto lie substantially flush with and merge into the tread surface of the sole of a shoe, a fastening element passing through said yieldable member into threaded engagement With said threaded bore for detachably connecting the same with said plate, and an insert member adapted to be inserted between said yieldable member and the sole of a shoe when the attachment is in applied position thereon.

8. A shoe attachment comprising a plate shaped to conform to the shape of a foot and adapted to be positioned upon the inside of the sole of a shoe at the arch thereof, a yieldsurface of the sole of a shoe, and a fastening element for passage through said yieldable member and into said plate for connecting said member to said plate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MORRIS HIRSHFIELD. 

